Getting personal for a minute:
If a company describes itself as "a family"
RUN! It's a huge red flag.
I'm 54 and am of the generation told to go to college, land a good job, work your way up "the ladder," and remain until you retire.
I quickly discovered that is capitalist propaganda.
During my 20-year corporate career, I experienced overt and subtle racism, and denial of career advancement opportunities.
I witnessed inexperienced and untrained individuals be hired and promoted due to nepotism. I've witnessed folk sleep their way to being promoted. I've dealt with toxic bosses, inane office politics, and shifty business practices.
Several years before the pandemic, I began working for myself, remotely. BEST decision I've ever made. My intent is to never work in a corporate office again.
I've been planning my first solo travel/workation this year and I can't decide where to go this August. La Union, Zambales, or Baler?
La Union is at the top of my list but since it's a workation and as an introvert, I won't be into parties and large crowds. I want a more peaceful vibe. I wonder which among those three is better for digital nomading?
Many companies are pushing employees to return to the office. But what's the environmental impact?
@grist explores the question: "Recent data suggest that remote work could speed along companies’ plans to zero out their carbon emissions, but businesses don’t seem to be considering climate change in their decisions about the future of office work."
"No", the boss said, "I can't let you do that. You see, I am in charge of more than 100 people here. And if I let YOU work from home and be more focused and productive, thereby contributing more to the success of this company, more employees will want the same privileges as you. Before we know it, EVERYONE in this company could be getting out of this noisy work place and be more focused and productive working from home… and we can't have that, can we? Go back to your desk Tom." #CompanyLogic
@randahl
That’s a #redflag in the current workplace environment and a hint to start looking for external opportunities. Thankfully there are many companies who have embraced #remotework / Work From Home #wfh
I work for a small startup and for the past year and a half I've been a hybrid worker: typically in office two days a week, at home two days a week (I don't work fridays).
Up until now, there's been no official policy on time spent in-office, so if I'm having sensory sensitive day or I'm burned out on social I just message my team and let them know I'm not feeling well, and it's no big deal. I do actually like seeing people there weekly and having a few meetings in person, but sometimes I am not well enough to do it.
But now or management has decided to enforce the two days a week in the office rule and I'm quite angry about it. Some bullshit justification about increasing efficiency and collaboration, without actually thinking about anyone's work styles or who needs to collaborate with whom. And I have to decide what I'm doing to do about it.
I can try to fill in all the paperwork, and just make HR approve it every time I'm not feeling well. I hate it though, because I will feel encouraged to come in even when it would wear me down or make me less productive.
I can try and get an exception. I think everyone's seen me flinch at the slightest background noise on days where the office is a lot for me. I don't have any official diagnosis but my therapist would write me a recommendation letter.
I can also work with my coworkers to keep fighting back for everyone. I think this requirement is particularly tough for my autism, but there are others who also feel like this is arbitrary and corporate and/or contrary to their working style.
I just feel so stuck though. I poked at looking for a new job, but I don't have a good chance of finding something as good or better - not soon, anyway. I also feel really disrespected, since I was one of a handful of contributors to a really important (and successful) project, and I put a lot of my energy in and get this new stupid rule out.
So frustrating! Any similar experiences? Ideas? Advice?
But look at this headline, though: Developers increasingly being asked to return to work
"to work".
"to... WORK".
As if the only place where you can actually do any "work" is a dedicated office.
No. There's your first problem. Stop talking like that. Change your perceptions. Change your paradigm.
I've been working fully remote for six years this year, I'm an asset to my company, and I can tell you now that I don't EVER want to return to an office environment again.
Obviously, nobody can say what's going to happen tomorrow, but I can absolutely guarantee you that if there's any way whatsoever I can get by without returning to an office, that's what I'm going to do.
> The average employee returning to the office spends $561 per month
> Despite the benefits of remote work for employees, many organizations are abandoning it in favor of returning to the office full-time–or part-time in a hybrid model. A recent survey from BetterUp shows that the number of primarily remote roles has been cut in half–and one out of four organizations cite improved connection and culture as the business rationale behind mandated office returns.